The feeling of "going through the motions" of school is something I often felt. Whether it was the robotic scheduling of waking up at the crack of dawn to do the exact same drudgery of what the day before was or simply, having no control over what my responsibilities were. It is this pre-programmed practice that is killing the hearts and souls of students. I truly feel everyone starts out first grade excited about something: the new crayon box, the first time they put their hands on a calculator, or even playing in the sand! As the students get older school becomes less about discovery and more about memorization taking away the magic of learning something. Learning is a living thing, I believe Dr. Fogleman has said this before. In order for it to work everyone has to be alive, engaged, and in the moment.
That was another piece of this excerpt that struck a chord with me, the fact that most people in a school are thinking about the steps ahead and not what there doing right that second. When you take notes in class you think about the exam that's going to be based on them. When a teacher assigns homework they think about when it will be do. Always the focus is on what's coming down the pike instead of on what is happening NOW. This is a mistake because it disguises moments of discovery. How can you find something, learn something, enjoy something, when all you can think about is what's next? Like a check list, school feels like an obligation and less of a desire. Figuring out how to change the perspective of students back to the first grader, when everything was fresh and intrinsically motivated would be a step in the right direction as well as a step into the moment.
That was another piece of this excerpt that struck a chord with me, the fact that most people in a school are thinking about the steps ahead and not what there doing right that second. When you take notes in class you think about the exam that's going to be based on them. When a teacher assigns homework they think about when it will be do. Always the focus is on what's coming down the pike instead of on what is happening NOW. This is a mistake because it disguises moments of discovery. How can you find something, learn something, enjoy something, when all you can think about is what's next? Like a check list, school feels like an obligation and less of a desire. Figuring out how to change the perspective of students back to the first grader, when everything was fresh and intrinsically motivated would be a step in the right direction as well as a step into the moment.